Railway-rail joint



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

S. F. STBVER. RAILWAY RAIL JOINT.

No. 463,082. Patented Nov. .10, 1891.

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(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

S. F. STEVER. RAILWAY RAIL JOINT.

No. 463,082. Patented Nov. 10,1891.

THE NORRIS KTZIIS CO PNOTV LFYHO WASH NFTJI- D E UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

SOLOMON F. STEVER, OF FAIRFIELD, IOXVA.

RAI LWAY-RAIL JOINT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 463,082, dated November 10, 1891. Application filed December 14, 1889- fierial No. 333,800- (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, SOLOMON F. STEVER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Fairfield, in the county of Jefferson and State of Iowa, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Railway-Rail Joints; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full,

clear, and exact description of the invention,

a joint that any wearing or loosening of the same, as from cross-wear, may be taken up and the joint at all times be kept tight and firm, making the joint as strong as the main portion of the rail, and thus presenting a practically continuous rail for the track.

With this object in view the invention consists, essentially, in a railway-rail joint comprising, with the ordinary angle-bars, downward and outward inclined jaws to be placed one on each side of adjacent rails at the joint over the flanges of the angle-bars and rails, clamping the flanges of the angle-bars closely against the corresponding flanges of these rails and tending to push or draw the anglebars into the hollows and against the crowns of the rails, insuring a tight and sung fit.

Furthermore, the invention consists in a railway-rail joint comprising, with the ordinary angle-bars, two jaws arranged one on each side of adjacent rails at the joint over the flanges of the angle-bars and rails, and a bolt or bolts placed beneath the rails and connecting the jaws, whereby when nuts on the bolts are turned on the webs of the angle-bars will be clamped closely against the corresponding flanges of adjacent rails, the angle-bars will be pushed or drawn into the hollows and against the crowns of the rails, insuring a tight fit, and a supporting-pressure will be exerted.

In the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, and in which like letters of reference indicate corresponding parts, I have illustrated two forms of embodiment of my invention.

Figure 1' is a perspective View of a railwayrail joint constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a perspective View of a railway-rail joint, showing a modified form of my invention; and Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the jaws. Fig. at is a sectional view, the section being taken on the line 00 x of Fig. 1.

In the drawings, A A represent the ends of adjacent rails, and B represents the ordinary angle-bar placed at the joint. There will be a corresponding angle-bar on the opposite side, (not shown,) and, as is well known, the crown and flange of each rail are beveled or slanted convergingly toward the stem. The anglebar is beveled above to fit under the crown and below to fit upon the flange, and the angle-bar is set in the hollow of the rails with about a quarter of an inch space free between its back and the stem or web of the rail, leaving the outer edge of the flange of the anglebar projecting over or out beyond the flange of the rail.

C 0 represent my improved jaws, which have a configuration to take upon and hold the flanges of the rails and of the angle-bars,

and one of which is to be placed on each side of the rails at their point of juncture over the flanges of the rails and of the angle-bars. The

any other suitable means for clamping or opening the jaws will fall within the spirit of my invention, which does not depend upon any specified mode of opening and closing the jaws. By this construction the drawing together of the jaws when in position engaging the angle -bars and rails by tightening the nuts on the bolts will-result in pressing the an gle-bars firmly inward against the rails, and will also serve to bind the angle-plates and the rails closely together. In addition to this, the tightening has the eifect of exerting upward strain on the rail by reason of the inclined face of the jaws or clamps.

As the angle-bars become loose from crosswear 011 the crown and under the flanges of the same, from movement of the rails lengthwise, from expansion and contraction, from the jar of passing trains, or from other causes, the tightening of the nuts will cause the jaws to come together, forming a clamp, forcing the angle-bars into the hollows of the rails to a tight, firm, and snug fit, and clamping the webs together.

The angle-bars may be secured to the rails by the usual number of bolts, or the tops of the jaws may be extended to bear against-the stems or webs of the bars. In this case there may be a bolt at each end of the jaws, serving to secure the angle-bars, and also to keep the jaws from slipping lengthwise. It is well to have each jaw about half the length of an angle-bar.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination, with rails and with angle-bars the outer edges of the flanges of which project over or outward beyond the flange ofv the rail in'use, of a jaw or clamp to be on each side of the rail at the joint in use, holding the flanges of rail and angle bar and bearing against the projecting flange of the angle-bar when in position, and means for connecting the jaws, substantially as and for the purpose described.

2. A railway-rail joint comprising with the ordinary angle-bars, having their flanges projecting over the rail, two jaws arranged one on each side of adjacent rails at the joint over the flanges of the angle-bars and rails, the jaws being inclined downward and outward from the rails, and abolt or bolts placed beneath the rails and connecting the jaws, whereby when the nuts on the bolts are turned down the webs on the angle-bars will be clamped closely against the corresponding webs of adjacent rails, the angle-bars will be pushed or turned into the hollows or crowns of the rails, insuring a tight tit, and a supporting pressure will be exerted, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

SOLOMON F. STEVER.

\Vitnesses:

R. G. DYRENFORTH, EDWIN S. TWYFORD. 

